Sounds for Glory: Skinner Organ

The renovation of our Skinner pipe organ is complete save a few tweaks. Thanks be to all of you and to God! I hope you enjoyed the celebratory concert on October 27th.

If you have been making programmed donations to the organ fund, thank you. This is just a reminder that you may discontinue them. If you continue to contribute, the donations will be saved and used for future enhancements.

The organ at Damascus United Methodist Church was built by the Skinner Organ Company in 1930.

Started by E.M. Skinner in the early 1900s, the Skinner company was the most highly regarded firm in the world at the time and built organs at venues such as Washington National Cathedral, Rockefeller Chapel in Chicago, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.

The style of organs churches were buying changed in the 60s, and the vast majority of Skinner’s work was replaced or destroyed. While the Skinner style has once again come back into favor, very few existing, unaltered Skinner organs still exist. Of the 887 organs that he built, only 26 still remain unaltered. The organ at DUMC is one of those 26. Its replacement value has been appraised at just under $1,000,000.

Importance of Our Skinner Organ:

The Skinner organ at DUMC provides the musical foundation for the church, accompanying services and performances along with being a world-class recital instrument. When brought back to playable condition, it will continue to serve the congregation for years to come.